


Zuko alive

by ozwrites



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aang drinks major respect Katara juice, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Author Projecting, Dancer Suki, Ex-Dancer Zuko, Finally beta read!, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Minor Aang/Katara, Mutual Pining, NOT an established relationship whoops!, Oh No There's Only One Bed But Camping Edition, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko majors in psych, jet is The Plug, just dudes being bros, not angst, the freedom fighters are stoners, they all swear like hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:46:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27001438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozwrites/pseuds/ozwrites
Summary: Zuko only faintly remembers what it's like to be happy; to be safe and wanted.The gang helps him make new memories igniting a flame in his chest again, but one certain member of the group, one stupidly gorgeous, intelligent, boomerang-wielding member of the group, makes that spark into a wildfire.(A fic in which Zuko learns to ask the question, "Is this what friends do?")
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 97
Collections: Zukka (ATLA)





	1. The Time he was Young

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: Finally beta read this whole monster. Enjoy! Let me know your thoughts <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko remembers the first time he was truly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY so this really looks angsty but I hate angst so this this is about as bad as its gonna get. The rest is simply gay bants

Zuko didn’t really remember it much at all, but it was there. A blur, a streak of motion in his memory of snow, and an ice rink, and his mother’s hand. He didn’t remember the taste of the hot chocolate, but he remembered he had it, in a tiny foam cup, warming his fragile little hands. Lights were strung up on every tree, but now, more than ten years later, he can just make out the faint glow of them in his mind’s eye. He remembered it was cold- too cold even for benders to be comfortable. He remembered the long walk from the car to the zoo entrance. Azula was there, too, but that was as far as the memory could take him.

Zuko didn’t remember that evening well, but sometimes he closed his eyes and tried to fabricate the rest of the story, the rest of the first night Zuko ever felt content. It was a feeling deep enough to swell in his chest, flowing through his veins like ichor. Even as a kid, Zuko knew he felt alive.

It would be long before the feeling returned. Mortality wasn’t real back then, it wasn’t something he knew. It wasn’t something he’d grasp until he was a little bit older, not by the memory of his mother’s hands, but through the cruelty of his father’s.

It was a rush, he decided; the way it felt to speak his truth. It was a rush, driven by impulse and by years of pent up anger, pent up... he didn’t even know what. But it was too nerve-wracking to make him feel that stir in his chest.

It was a rush, he decided, when he was in the ambulance, carted away from his childhood home. He couldn’t feel. He was numb in every respect, but the way that the sirens echoed in his consciousness- the way that so many fervent hands handled him with such concern- was...something. He remembers it vaguely, like an oil painting smudged by a careless artist. His uncle was there, sitting by his cot in a plastic chair that wasn’t meant for a man his size. He had his eyes closed and was lightly snoring. His perceptions were strange. His vision was filled with black spots that danced in his peripherals and he could still hear sirens deep in his ears drowning out the scenes in front of him. The hospital was stark, clean, and completely alien. The concrete walls crowded them out, leaving him two things: a new bandage and a new home.

  
When Zuko gathered his thoughts and the ringing stopped, he decided this all was a whirlwind, but it didn’t make him feel any more human. If Zuko didn’t know mortality before, they were well acquainted now.

Now, Zuko sits in his room in his uncle’s cottage- swaddled in mink-snake blankets. He breathes in the smell of candles he had just blown out minutes ago. Through his closed door, he can hear the television program his uncle probably fell asleep to in the living room. Things are alright.

Belonging is a funny thing. Being wanted, helped, understood- they’re all things that make his heart feel a certain way, but it still feels like something, somehow, is missing.  
But all in all, things were coming along.

  
A soft buzz startles him out of his thoughts. The boy sifts through the oversized blanket, searching for the source of the buzz. After patting down what feels like the entire bed, he resorts to just shaking out the blanket. This, of course, sends the phone flying and Zuko lets out a very unmanly squeal before it clatters to the old hardwood floor. He sucks in a breath and scrambles to pick it up, checking first for cracks before grimacing and hoping he didn’t wake his uncle.

Temporarily forgetting the buzz, he tiptoes across the creaky floorboards as slowly and quietly as he can before cracking open his door and peering into the shared living space. Luckily, Iroh is sound asleep, arms slung over the plush sides of his favorite armchair, reclined so much that Zuko thinks the chair might break one of these days. Zuko breathes out a tiny laugh through his nose and closes his door again, exhaling a breath he just now realizes he was holding. Flopping down into his bed once more, he nestles himself in the fluffy white blanket before finally checking his phone. It’s a Snapchat from Sokka.

  
Immediately, Zuko's heart skips a beat, throwing his generally steady heartbeat into an arrhythmic mess. He stares at the message, intimidated by the notification, almost too horrified to open it up.

  
Give it a few seconds, he thinks to himself- don’t wanna seem too eager.

  
In a spell of anxiety, he clicks the phone off and groans, cradling himself in the cocoon he’s made and wrapping the blankets tighter around himself, trying to reach some state of calm. Deep breath in, shaky breath out. The ceiling becomes very interesting for a good 60 seconds before he gives a solid “okay, fuck it,” and opens the message in one click. 

And boy, did that one message knock him out. Sokka always had a... way... with words. Or in this case, lack thereof.  
The screen is black and fuzzy, the subject of nothing in particular. It reads, “busy?”

  
Is this a joke? Zuko stares at the white words before him before clicking away. He looks blankly at the screen, long after the snap has disappeared, before actually checking the time. 11:00. The sun had set hours ago and Zuko is already in pajamas, for Agni's sake. Frowning, he puts half of his face toward the camera and takes a picture, albeit a super dark one, and begins his reply.

  
“dude it’s like... 11:00 already, what could you possibly want to do?” He tries to choose his words carefully, to sound disapproving in a... polite kind of way.  
The firebender's nerves are set alight for a painstaking 14 minutes- the amount of time Sokka decides is adequate to torture him with before sending another reply. This time, Zuko springs out of his catharsis to open the snap with shaking fingers.

  
“wanna go to the palace gardens?”

  
“right now??”

  
“sorry, is that too spontaneous for you?”

  
And to be honest, it is- but Zuko's never had friends before, and by Agni, he is not going to turn this down. His head spins- maybe he got up too fast? It’s by some magical force that he finds himself on his feet before he even has time to think of where he may be going. Why is he so tense? He flicks the light on in his room before answering “no, I’ll meet you there in half an hour,” with more confidence than he’s ever texted with. Or talked with, for that matter.

  
“Holy shit,” he whispers to himself. His muscles twitch and sparks are crackling at the tips of his fingers as he paces the room's small expanse of non-creaky-floorboards. He stops in front of his mirror. Right. Clothing.

  
Zuko feeds stupid for feeling so giddy, so out of control, but he can’t control his smile or his elevated heartbeat. He certainly can’t control the way his anxious fingers almost set fire to the crewneck he’s sliding over his head. Agni.

It only takes him 10 minutes to wrestle with his hair and a pair of black jeans, which leaves a good 20 minutes for his brain to go haywire. Does he tell Iroh? Does he ask permission from Iroh? Usually, his curfew is midnight, but it couldn’t hurt anything if Zuko was back at 1, right? The nervous boy grabs his keys as quietly as he can and slips out his door with as minimal noise as possible. He stops once he’s in the living room and just stares, feeling guilty for leaving without telling his uncle of his whereabouts.

  
_Do I wake him?_ he thinks to himself.

  
His muscles are urging him to just go, to just walk a little further into the room and out the door, but his brain stops him. Sighing silently, he creeps across the living room and into the tiled kitchen. Thank Agni, no more squeaking. He settles on a note, rummaging around in his uncle's “junk drawer” for a pen and an old receipt. He scribbles “out at Sokka's. call if you need me”. This sounded much better to him than “trespassing in the palace gardens tonight, I'll call if I need you.” He figures the lie isn’t far off enough to feel too bad about. He sets the crumpled paper on the kitchen counter and leaves the light on before slipping out the front door.

  
Zuko can’t help but laugh to himself when he shuts the door of his car. He laughs out loud, the produced noise is scratchy and unused. The sound ends abruptly. He isn’t used to hearing his own laugh, but he can't help but grin as he starts the car. The foot that isn’t on the gas bounces wildly and Zuko's skin is covered in raised bumps, despite currently having a body temperature that could rival a wildfire.

It’s a short drive to the palace gardens, despite living in the lower ring and the gardens being in the upper. One night when Zuko was invited to hang out with the avatar and his friends (“Zuko, it’s not an invitation, you’re coming with us. You’re part of the gang, you’re even in the group chat now!) Toph had discovered a time window, every day at 10:30 when a section of the gardens was not guarded. This spot, a small clearing covered on one side by decorative trees, overlooking a mirror-like pond, became a meeting spot.

  
“But never this late,” thinks Zuko. “And never... alone.”

  
He hears a buzz from his phone and resists the urge to grab it while he’s driving. Once he pulls into the groundskeepers parking lot, he spots a familiar grey car and parks parallel to it, but not right beside it. Is that weird? Is that even Sokka? Zuko’s anxiety picks this time to skyrocket. He tries to take deep breaths and opts to look at his phone- after locking his doors, of course. A message from Sokka reads “here” and relief hits him like the Ba Sing Se monorail. No sooner had he placed his thumbs on the keyboard to reply, does he hear a door slam shut, making him jump. He’s flooded with a much-needed dose of calm when he sees a familiar water tribe figure, leaned up against his sedan, arms crossed and waiting expectantly. Zuko fumbles to get his keys out of the ignition and pockets his phone before stepping out of the car and giving an awkward wave.

  
“Hey.”


	2. The Time he Broke Curfew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka and Zuko...compare blankets?

The air is oddly cold for July. _It is cold, right? It has to be,_ Zuko concludes. Why else would he be shivering like this? 

“Hey.” His voice is warm like honey but playful like a...like a....

_Agni, stop waxing poetic about your friend,_ the bender reprimands himself. 

Before Zuko can slip up and say anything embarrassing, Sokka turns around, rummaging through his backseat for something. He comes back up with the object and slams the door shut, looking expectantly at the other boy. Squinting in the dark, Zuko still can’t make out what it is, and Sokka seems to sheepishly understand. 

“Car blanket. Do you have one?” He unravels the folded blanket and shakes it a little, the way someone might beat dust out of an old rug. Before Zuko can answer though, he’s leaning against his car, refolding the blanket hastily and shucking it over his shoulder. “I- I mean, if you don’t that's great too, cause mine’s real warm and we can share...I mean I guess. If you want...” he trails off, picking at threads in the blanket.

Zuko nods. “I have one, I think. We can use both.”

Zuko turns away from his friend, but he hears a comical huff from his direction. 

“I see how it is. Mr. Jerkbender doesn’t wanna share a blanket with a lowly peasant like me.” Zuko stops what he’s doing, his eyebrows creasing. 

“What will I tell Gran-Gran? That you rejected my offer to appreciate her fine blanket weaving skills? What a shame...” 

_Oh right, Jokes._ Zuko sighs a little. He’s getting more used to Sokka’s....monologues by now, but sometimes he still hesitates. 

The chief's-son approaches Zuko as he rambles, watching as he pops the trunk and grabs an honestly tragic looking quilt from the interior. Upon further inspection, the boy lets out a whoop that could wake the whole neighborhood. Zuko clutches the quilt to his chest, raising an eyebrow. Sokka is cackling, hunched over with his hands on his knees. 

“What?”

“Is...” _wheeze_.

“Is that made of..” _knee slap_.

_Oh_ , thought Zuko, suddenly turning a shade of crimson. He holds the fabric closer to his chest and twists away from the hysterical boy in front of him. 

“Yes. It’s denim. Now come on.” The raucous laughter only skyrockets. With pleading eyes, Zuko grabs Sokka by the arm. “Come on, keep it down, the guards are just up that hill.”

And Sokka must have known he was right because he finally shut up. Thank Agni.

“Okay,” they begin to walk from their cars downhill through a slightly muddy swath of grass. “but you have to tell me how you came in possession of... that,” Sokka grins. They come to a break in the landscape where grass becomes tumbled white pebble, leading into a rushing stream. 

“Fine,” Zuko grumbles. “After you.” He motions to the small chasm, filled with lazily flowing water. He catches Sokka’s eyes and almost falls into them, feeling a tangible sense of vertigo. Thankfully, the other boy turns his head and takes a few steps back. He looks ridiculous as he rears up, bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet, shifting into a runners position. He takes off and hurdles the small stream with no difficulty. Zuko feels his eyes roll. 

Zuko shuffles a bit closer to the running water and spots a rock in the center of the stream, obstructing the flow. He gingerly places the toe of his shoe on the stone, pushing it experimentally.

“Come on!” he hears sokka whining and gives him a playful glare. After he determines that the rock was indeed not going to make a fool out of him, he steps onto it, wobbling a little. Before he can fall, he hops onto the other bank of pebbles. Success. The pair trudges through more slippery grass before finding a thin walking path. 

“So?” The tan boy questions. Zuko hums in response, confused. 

“The Janket.”

“The...”

“The jean blanket- I know, I’m a genius- where did you...”

Zuko groans. They come up to the edge of the royal gardens, they could tell by the tree line. 

“My uncle is in a... club...of sorts,” he starts. They keep quiet as they hold their blankets close and duck under tree branches. After checking if the coast is clear, Zuko spreads out his blanket over the ground, right up against tree roots. Here, they’re cradled by flowering trees, hidden from sight, facing a pool of shining water. It might be serene, Zuko thinks, if it wasn’t for Sokka’s snort of a laugh, cutting through the silence. He sits.

“An old person arts and crafts club? Where can I join?” he receives a punch in the arm.

“My uncle is a,” he clears his throat and smooths the blanket over the ground, making room for Sokka to join him on it. “eccentric man with interesting friends and hobbies,” he says, almost smiling fondly. Sokka laughs and wraps the blanket of his own around his shoulders before sitting as well, sidling up to Zuko on the strangely textured quilt. Once he’s settled, he pulls it off, like one might remove a scarf, and lays it across both of their laps. It instantly wams his thighs, and for some reason his face, ears, and neck. Sokka doesn’t seem affected, though. He traces a finger down the cloth. It’s pretty close up now that Zuko can see. It’s twisted and braided and incredibly soft- some kind of wool, Zuko guesses.

“It was actually my mother’s,” was all he said. His beautiful tan skin contrasts with the sandy tan of the blanket. They trace the braids and designs, all done in a royal blue. Zuko is mesmerized. He watches with rapt attention as the boy’s fingers swirl from one pattern to the next, across the planes of his own legs, slowly making their way to the chasm where the blanket dips.- the space between their bodies where they are only inches apart. Sokka’s entire hand bridges the gap now, brushing lightly over the wool that covers Zuko’s thigh. The firebender tries to take steady breaths, but he thinks he might have stopped breathing a while ago. Cautiously, Zuko puts a trembling hand over the one on his leg. Sokka’s hand is cold and his gaze is transfixed on the calm waters of the royal pond. 

“You didn’t have to bring it out here, Sokka. We could’ve just used m-”

“I wanted to.” The cold hand grips his warm one and Zuko thinks his ribcage must be visibly shaking at this point. He wonders if Sokka can feel his thundering pulse through his hand.

“O-okay,” he stammers. Does he let go of Sokka’s hand? Does he drop the subject? He chooses silence. 

The sky is beautifully clear, with stars showing their constellations and the waxing moon casting her otherworldly glow on the earth below. They look onto the moonlit pond in silence, Sokka’s hand wrapped around Zuko’s still. The water before them looks like India Ink, moving gently, rippling and swaying with gentle pushes of the wind. Zuko can feel Sokka’s shoulder press into his. He masks a smile, heart drumming dangerously. 

The push becomes somewhat insistent, a nudge now. The boy beside him sways a little back and forth now, knocking their shoulders repeatedly. His eyes are trained on the water but his lips wore a knowing little smile. 

“What?” Asks the dark-haired boy, trying his damndest not to smile at the slightly shorter boy at his side. He’s startled as he’s hit with a particularly forceful shoulder-bump, that knocks him over onto an elbow, ripping their joined hands apart. 

“Hey!” He protests. Sokka’s smile isn’t something he can fight with though, and his elbows buckle feebly as he pushes himself back up. The other boy is faced toward him now, fully.

“What do you want?”

“M’cold.”

And Agni, curse the spirit that possesses Zuko to speak these words. 

“Come here, then.” And bless whatever spirit that made the beautiful water tribe boy oblige, climbing on top of Zuko entirely. He sits just in between Zuko’s legs, chest to chest, arms and legs wrap around the bender’s wiry torso like a koala-sheep. To make this interaction even more startling, his bright blue eyes are just inches away from his own.

“Thanks.” And then he giggles. He fucking _giggles_. Zuko has to shut his eyes and breathe in and out a few times to regulate his body temperature. Now is not the time to hit boiling temperature. Sokka reaches down, and pulls Gran Gran’s blanket around his shoulders- around their shoulders, and rests his head on his friend’s shoulder.

“Good?” Zuko asks quietly. Sokka hums. His hair tickles Zuko’s neck. His body is calming, like a weighted blanket. He fidgets with his hands, running them against the absurd jean material of the quilt underneath them, then plays with his own fingers and then pulls the second “oh fuck it” of the night and gingerly places them on the back of Sokka’s sweatshirt.

“Tell me something.” He says abruptly, and Zuko almost jumps as he’s transported back into reality.

“Tell you what?” 

“I don’t know, tell me something about yourself. The thing about your uncle was funny, but I wanna know more about you.”

His uncle. Why did that part of the sentence stick out to him? He frowns.

“My uncle…” He ponders. Sokka’s eyes search his face, confused. “Uncle’s house…” He mutters. Sokka draws back to look at him fully, eyebrow quirked. 

“Uh, Zuko?”

It hit him. Amber eyes widen in alarm. 

“Curfew! Sokka, what time is it?” 

Wide ocean eyes stare back. A glance at a watch.

“12:57”

They both scramble to stand, but the taller boy’s legs buckle and feel grainy like T.V. static. Strong arms steady him and at the contact he wants to swoon and throw up at the same time. 

“When were you supposed to be home?” 

“Technically twelve, but I...sort of extended the time to 1…”

They whisper tersely and walk briskly, but grins are apparent on each boy’s face. 

They hop the stream and skip the dramatics this time, hurrying up the grass hill to the asphalt lot. There’s not much talking, more a determined power-walk and the slamming of trunks and car doors; disposing of blankets. Zuko opens his car door to get in, but notices Sokka hovering near. He doesn’t slam his door shut, but props it open with a skinny-jean clad leg, looking up expectantly. The blue-eyed boy shoves his hands in his pockets and shuffles a little closer, almost so that he can lean against the opened door. 

“I had fun tonight, Jerk.”

Zuko’s chest stirs. It felt...warm.

“We’ll have to do it again, then.”

This elicits a wide grin. It then disappears as Sokka bobs away, swaying happily as he saunters to his car. Before they both close their doors, he calls out. “Night, Zuko.”

Zuko can’t contain his grin as he pushes 60 in a 35 zone. 

That night, Zuko lay awake, but this time for a good reason.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys what's up I didn't expect this to actually get reads but thanks! My Tumblr is @sokkaverse and I post a lot of ATLA (mostly zukka) art! This should be updated regularly and whilst I'm amidst a manic episode I might just Finish it this week.


	3. The Time they go Camping (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph knows.

“You guys went without us?!”

That seems to be the question of the day. Zuko avoids the Avatar’s wide eyes that stare at him from across the table. He sips his tea, quietly. 

Thankfully, Sokka pipes up. 

“I was  _ training _ him, you guys!” He gesticulates wildly. Zuko thinks he hears Katara snort beside him. (“What kind of  _ training _ were you doing?”) Thankfully, it’s glossed over. He continues. 

“The  _ Jerk _ bender over here doesn’t have much experience with ‘fun’, so I  _ graciously _ offered to take him under my wing. Right, Zuko?” His blue eyes are mischievous and he’s talking at quite the volume- Zuko’s eyes flicker around the teashop, but he restrains himself from reprimanding the boy on the stool next to him. He just clears his throat softly and sets his mug down with a clink, nodding. On the other side of Zuko, Toph sets her cup down as well, though much more forcefully than he had, and it rattles the table. 

“Well someone had to do it. Good job Sparky, You’re learning how to be human.” He feels a sharp pain in his arm from her knuckles colliding affectionately with his bony elbow. He smiles a bit and looks down, rubbing subconsciously at it.

“And what did you learn?” Katara’s voice is laced with something- something like it used to be when they first met, but not quite. Her eyes are narrow, but twinkling, and she holds her head in the palm of her hand, looking at him expectantly. The firebender nearly sputters his tea. Luckily, Aang also decides to talk at the same time, and their statements clash, overriding the tension building at the table. Is it tension? Zuko steals a glance at Sokka, who is happily munching some sort of flaky pastry. Who’s to say. He sighs. 

“That’s great, Sokka!” Aang was saying. “Now he’ll be prepared to take on his first real adventure with us!” Zuko wonders how the kid’s eyes can become so wide, so bright, when he’s excited. Wait,  _ adventure? _

“I don’t know, do you think  _ Prince Zuko _ can handle a little dirt?” Katara remarks, slyly. 

_ Okay, _ Zuko thinks. She’s definitely teasing. 

“Woah woah woah!” Sokka says, mouth still full. “Zuko hewe ifthn’t…” He swallows and dabs daintily at the corners of his mouth with a napkin, before throwing his arm awkwardly around the firebender’s shoulders. “Isn’t  _ that _ mega-rich anymore-”

“Yeah!” Toph has both fists on the table now and is standing on the rungs of her stool. “Plus,  _ I’m  _ still mega-rich and I love dirt! So get fucke-”

“Toph! Public!” Katara hisses, leaning forward over the table. The Earth Kingdom girl just grins widely, seating herself correctly on the stool once more. Fortunately it wasn’t a busy time for the Jasmine Dragon, and Zuko could only spot a regular or two dotting the shop’s interior. The heavy weight of Sokka’s arm around his shoulders is sliding away and Zuko can’t seem to explain why the loss upsets him. He wills himself not to blush and swears on Sozin that if Sokka touches him again without warning he might just combust. For real. 

“Well there’s plenty of dirt where we’re going. Aang, have you told him?” Katara asks the younger boy. His grin is sheepish and his shoulders raise up to his ears in a shrug. Katara’s eyes are incredibly wide and her mouth opens in surprise. “Aang!?” The tattooed boy laughs nervously. “Sorry, Katara…” Sokka lets out a hearty laugh. 

“You mean you haven’t told Zuko that we’re taking him camping?”

“Camping?” Zuko asks, voice raises above Sokka’s horrendously loud cackling. 

“Yeah. With- shut  _ up, _ Snoozles-” She tosses a wadded up napkin at the Water Tribe boy, and he whines, laughter dying down. “With you. Tonight.”

“Hope your calendar’s empty.” Katara’s voice is breezy. His lips twitch up into a smile, or something like it. His calendar is always empty, now that he doesn't live at home.  _ Well not home,  _ he thinks.  _ Just away from...you know what I mean,  _ Zuko argues with himself. 

“It...shouldn’t be a problem,” he responds. He knows for a fact that anything he has to do at home is not as important as being invited to an ‘adventure’, even if it really just is a bunch of kids in a tent in the woods. His uncle will be so ecstatic. He’s always telling Zuko about the outdoors, about the joy of nature and the healing properties of this and that- but alas, he speaks in riddles and Zuko can really only make out a little bit of the main idea before he stops trying. 

The table cheers loudly, excluding Katara, who is busy shushing everybody, but she grins as she does it, laughing lightly at the merriment. 

Right on cue, Iroh appears from the kitchen, leaving the door swinging behind him as he bumps it with his hip. He is chewing the end of a pen and has a cup of tea in his hand. He tosses the pen onto the serving counter and approaches the group of teenagers, smiling jovially. 

“Hey Mushi!” To Zuko’s Surprise, the cup of tea his uncle held is not his own, and he watches in confusion as the short man passes the steaming mug off to Toph, who half-bows in her seat.

“Hi Mister Uncle Iroh Sir!” Aang pipes, waving his cup around in the air. “Great Tea!” 

Sokka frowns, squinting at the cup. “Aang, you ordered a smoothie. There’s no tea in that.”

Zuko laughs for real this time as the boy looks at his cup quizzically, before smiling again in Iroh’s direction. “Oh. Well it’s still great!” His eyes go squint-y when he laughs and Zuko swears he sees Katara sigh dreamily. He’d definitely put a bookmark in that for later.

“Greetings, Avatar and friends.” he says with a knowing edge to his voice. Iroh places his hands on Zuko’s shoulders now, making him jump. “I’ve come to check on the rabble-rousers who are making so much noise in my shop.” His eyes are twinkling and his lips upturn in a fond smile. 

“Uncle,” Zuko starts, lifting a shoulder. The old man just chuckles and removes his hands, folding them in his apron, instead. 

“And to thank them for adopting my stubborn nephew into their group.”

Zuko is beet red as his friends exchange pleasantries and small anecdotes with his uncle, and is in such a state that he might not have even known Iroh had left if it wasn’t for tan fingers pinching his side. He yelps. There he goes again...doing that...touching...thing. Maybe he just  _ would _ burst into flame. 

Toph is the first to slide out of her chair, hopping down to the worn wooden floor with a soft thump. The scraping of Katara’s stool follows after, and then Aang’s. Sokka gets up but doesn’t move far, leaning against the table while the others pack up and begin to congregate in the lobby of the shop, looking expectantly at Sokka, who isn’t moving. 

“Zuko, your uncle is so cool, “ the airbender says, rounding the table. Katara is close by, he notes, following after the boy clad in almost all yellow. “He’s gonna let you come camping, right?”

Zuko almost filters out Aang’s question, due to Sokka’s unreasonable closeness to him. All he can think of is how soft his friend’s hair was against his skin, how his chest was pressed into his own, how his lips… were so… you know. He clears his throat and stands, pushing in his stool, separating Sokka’s lean form from his own, like a barrier. 

“Yeah, he’s always trying to get me out of the house.” He pauses when sokka utters a quiet, “nice.”

“When?” Zuko almost forgets to ask. He’s startled when it’s Sokka that answers. 

“Tonight. I’ll pick you up at 5.” He joins the rest of the gang, heading now for the door. Toph breaks from the pack and slides up to Zuko, patting him on the arm as she leaves a tip on the table. 

“I can feel your heartbeat right now. Don’t be too nervous about it. We won’t bite.”

“I-” Zuko takes a deep breath and his traitorous eyes flicker to the hoodie-wearing, boomerang-loving, idiot at the entrance of the tea shop. He and Aang are currently opening and closing the door, just to hear the entrance bell. He thinks Katara may just snap and do some boiling-tea-bending soon. Thank Agni the other customers had already gone. “I’m not nervous about camping, don’t worry about me.”

Toph is still standing near him. She smiles- a smile Zuko does  _ not  _ like. 

“So you’re worried about something else, then?”

“N-no, I’m”

“ _ Someone  _ else?”

“No! No- Toph…”

She waggles one intimidating finger at the firebender, and he leans down. Her voice is low. 

“In that case, I’ve heard that Sokka  _ does _ bite.” She beams up at him. “See ya at five, Sparky.”

Then, Thankfully, they all leave.

_ Agni. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wasn't lying when I said this is probably gonna be Updated everyday and be finished relatively soon. Here's another chapter and part 2 is in the works. Thank you for the kudos ;0


	4. The time they go Camping (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang goes camping and Zuko feels like his head could fall off of his shoulders any damn minute.

“Zuko, you’re gonna break your spine from sitting up so damn straight, man. Loosen up a little,” Sokka says, nudging him in the ribs with his elbow. The muscles in his broad shoulders ripple with the small movement and Zuko’s eyes widen. To make things worse, his eyes catch Sokka’s, looking like a deer in headlights. He sees a devilish grin form on those lips and he doesn’t even have time to fully appreciate it because he feels warm fingers wrap around his arm and Sokka is yanking his body sideways. He’s folded over like the wind has been knocked out of him, half-choked by the seatbelt while toned arms pull him into a headlock. “It's like we kidnapped him or something.” 

Zuko flails.

“H-hey!”

Toph cackles and kicks her legs against the driver’s seat with glee. “See Sparky? Toldja the middle seat is the best.”

Aang must’ve felt the kicking. He checks the rearview mirror, looking at the three in his backseat. He hums thoughtfully.

“No worries, Hotman, we’re almost there.” He looks to the passenger seat. “Right, Katara?”

Zuko can only half-listen to the exchange anyway, between the fact that Sokka is sitting as his right and had pulled him onto his good ear, muffling the sound doubly, and that he’s so close to the other boy, practically on top of him.  _ Just like the night at the gardens _ , he thinks, but he scolds his inner monologue. The two hadn’t spoken about it since it happened. Maybe he felt weird about it? The bender isn’t eager to bring it up.

Sokka’s hand that isn’t holding his head in place is in his hair, ruffling it in a way Zuko can only describe as...spirited? Violently Homoerotic?  _ Agni. _ He feels like he’s going to pass out. Thankfully, he’s able to bat his friend’s hands away and sit up straight again, adjusting his button-up and frowning. Heat radiates off his face.

“Bastard…”

“What? Not going to put up a fight, Jerkbender? Not even a little?”

“Lame,” agrees Toph. 

“Want me to set the car on fire?”

There are conflicting yells- and then glares- between Toph and Katara. The waterbender looks at her phone again, eyes rolling. 

“Anyway, By the looks of it, we’re almost there. Like, ten more minutes.”

“Wait…” Zuko trails. “Doesn’t it take at least an hour to get to the Agrarian Zone of the Outer Wall? How long have we been driving?”

Aang laughs behind the wheel. “Well, we’re actually-”

“Don’t tell him!” is Toph’s reply. 

“We’ve been in the car for….” The boy to his right checks his phone screen. “Fifteen minutes.”

“It’s felt more like fifteen  _ years _ with  _ Captain Boomerang _ over here talking about his... primal...hunter-gatherer hobbies.” She shifts her body so that her shoulders rest on the hard plastic molding of the car door, back toward the window. With this movement, she swings her legs over where the center console would usually be- in this case, where Zuko currently is. He surprises even himself by letting out a small puff of air, a laugh even, at the action. The Earth Kingdom native uses a bare foot to kick the brown-haired boy in the thigh. “Sometimes you make me weigh the advantages of blind-deafness.” 

Sokka whips around to protest.

“Hey! It's not a hobby, it's a….It's a lifestyle! I think it’s completely valid. You wouldn’t understand. It's a  _ man thing _ -”

“Twinkletoes doesn’t hunt. Bullshit!”

“I would venture to say,” starts Katara, tearing her eyes from Google Maps to peer back at Sokka with a shit-eating grin. “That Zuko doesn’t care for it either. So, you’re just a loser.” She turns back around, shaking her head. 

Sokka sputters indignantly. He crosses his arms and pouts, sticking his lower lip out dramatically, in a way that the firebender finds to be dorkily...endearing. Not that Zuko was looking too long...at his lips...or anything. This is going to be a long night if he can’t pull himself together. The banter dissipates and it hits him.

“Wait, Fifteen…minutes…?” Zuko leans in his squished position a tiny bit to the right, brushing over the boy beside him. He’s acutely aware of Sokka the whole time he stares through the glass. How he’s stopped looking out the window himself, rather opting to look directly at Zuko instead, making the bender feel self- conscious. He’s aware of the smirk on his pink lips, one that knew more than he did. He’s aware of how the sight of the gardens, through both pairs of eyes, has changed the atmosphere of the car’s cabin. He chews on his own bottom lip, a nervous habit, and looks out the window, desperately searching for a distraction, or at least an indicator of where their destination might be. When he squints out the window, he frowns upon seeing familiar white-petaled trees in the near distance. The Palace and its walls loom ahead, the stone climbing farther than he can crane his neck to see. The grass here is perfectly cut in diamond patterns, the flower beds have not a single plant out of their carefully curated formations. 

“We’re going to the garden spot?”

It’s Katara who answers.

“Do you think we’re really going to get two tents in there? Through the trees? I thought Fire Nation kids were supposed to be smart,” Damn. Okay, Azula. He makes a mental note to introduce them. 

He frowns. If not the gardens, then where in the world would they be going in the Upper Ring?

The drive continues among light chatter and some horrendous Aang-approved instrumental playlists that are more akin to spiritual chants and tsungi horn than any real, solid musical composition. The palace shrinks in the distance when Zuko swivels around to check the back windshield. He feels a hand on his shoulder. When he turns around, Sokka wordlessly points to the front of the car. The black-haired boy clambers to the best of his ability with Toph weighing his lap down, to the front of the car, in between the driver and passenger seat. He squints, looking at a brand new building coming up. His eyes widen as they pull off into a grove of trees, onto a beaten path that jostles the passengers of the van. 

“The…” Zuko’s voice cracks and he flushes.

“Uh-huh.” Toph reclaims her legs, then stretches her arms. 

“We’re camping at…”

“Spit it out, buddy.” Sokka unclicks his seatbelt and then reaches for Zuko’s too. The firebender’s hand catches him though and traps it in his own, pulling it away from the seatbelt. He clicks it off by himself, freeing up his movement slightly. 

“We’re camping out at the Dai Li’s Headquarters?” He lets go of Sokka’s hand and takes in his slightly wide blue eyes. His hand drops into his lap with a thump and he just looks at it, before seemingly snapping out of some trance. 

“Uh, yeah. Something like that.”

“Isn’t it sick?” Toph is maneuvering herself into a half standing-half crunched over position on her seat, dangling over the headrest to rifle through the contents of the trunk.

“Well,” The driver pipes up. “It's no headquarters, sorry to disappoint. It’s just that… the folks at Lake Laogai really don’t like campers.” He shivers, and the car continues to traverse a bumpy, root-filled path. The trees are thick and the ground is dusty. The canopies of the trees grow denser and denser until they can only see equal slivers of the sky and sleek building walls.

The car is finally rolling to a stop at a smoother interval of ground. They seem to be at the bottom of a hill, facing the very back wall of the corporate Dai Li offices. The lights, now after hours, are still on, casting strange fluorescent yellow streaks across the leaves of the forest. The sky is polluted with light, but stars have their place, too. Doors open and close now in a flurry of activity and Zuko laughs nervously, eyeing Katara.

“You’re okay with this?” He scans the face of the tall girl before him. She smiles a little. 

“I’m learning to go with it.” She leads him by the shoulder as they walk around the van to where the others struggle to unpack the trunk. “Anything that happens tonight will never be worse than when we camped at Laogai.” She lets go and attaches herself to the Avatar’s side. 

“We figured the Dai Li won’t catch us in their own backyard. I mean, who would expect a bunch of kids to camp in their  _ backyard _ ?”

“ _ You  _ figured, Snoozles. So if this backfires…”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Really Sokka, the only reason we aren’t all paying fines is that we’re friends with Aang, and Aang is friends with Bumi, and Bumi is friends with...Y’know…” Katara plucks up a woven tote bag out of the trunk and the tattooed boy beside her envelopes the tent boxes in a warm gust of swirling air, hovering them along beside them. Zuko smiles, mostly to himself, and grabs two bags- one to sling over a shoulder, and one to carry on his elbow. 

_ Wouldn’t it be nice,  _ he thinks.  _ To be able to bend without burning everything you touch. _

Katara slams the trunk.

“Whatever. Follow me, scouts.” Sokka trudges in front of the group, leaves crunching loudly under his boots. His hair is tied up in a ponytail that bobs when he walks, and his blue crewneck (yes, another blue sweatshirt of his) makes him easy to follow (“what? It makes my eyes pop! Suki even said so!”), setting him apart from the natural tones of the surrounding nature.

“Here!”

When he stops, it’s in a small clearing. It isn’t much- just a small space with a felled tree and enough space for two tents. It will do. Aang drops the tent boxes and supplies unceremoniously onto the dirty ground and it makes a loud ‘ _ clang _ ’ that makes both Zuko and Katara cringe. They meet eyes and she shrugs at him. Okay, maybe this would be a bonding experience for them.

“Okay. Toph, you level the ground. Aang and Katara can set up one tent, and the Jerk and I will set up the other. Okay?” For once, there are no mutters or grievances. 

“Sure thing, Cap’n.” With one stomp to the ground and an outstretched hand, the roots seem to wither away into the ground, receding like serpents into snake holes. The rocks become smooth like tile, the dust on the ground settling into firmness, not to be kicked up. They now have a pretty damn good floor.

“Well, if that’s all I’m needed for, you ladies can get tent building’.  _ I,  _ on the other hand, will be starting the  _ snack portion _ of the night. If you’ll excuse me.” She pads along to the pile of bags, rummaging through it until she finds a box of graham crackers. 

Zuko turns his head to Sokka now. He’s reaching down to lift a small box up- about half the size of his body. The box is bright green and almost hurt to look at. In blue lettering, the box read: “Camping Fun! Easy setup for indoor and outdoor play!” Wait,  _ play? _ Are those  _ children _ on the box?

“Sokka…” The taller boy whistles something, from the radio no doubt, horribly off tune while he dumps the contents on the ground. Four poles, one tarp, one set of walls. 

“Sokka is this a youth-sized tent?!”

“Shut up, come help me! They’re gonna win!” Zuko raises his eyebrows, glancing over to see that they are, indeed, in the middle of a tent-building race with the other two benders. He sighs, jogging over to his friend and helping him lay the tarp. 

“Pole.” He hands Sokka the pole, unbending it and turning it right side up for him.

“Connector.”

“Sokka, there aren’t connectors, the frame is supposed to bend,” he eyes the box, and then Aang and Katara’s tent, before moving Sokka out of the way and finagling the main supporting pole until it clicks, and then fits the other end into the bottom of the ground tarp.

“I knew that.”

“I thought you said this was a  _ way of life _ ,” yells Toph through a laugh, perched on top of the horizontally fallen tree.

“Better catch up!” Sings the boy across from them. Katara looks smug as her “teammate” tries to fasten the last pole to the tarp.

“Go Zuko!” Sokka huffs, hurrying himself to drag the plastic walls over the wiry frame of the tent. “Faster!” 

“Wha- okay…” The boy dressed in all black agrees, choking a little on his own words. He can’t disagree with Sokka, especially when he’s saying shit like... that.  _ God, Zuko, have some humility. _

Zuko is still assisting his brown-haired friend to secure some kind of...window flap...when Aang lets out a whoop. 

“Time!!”

Toph whistles. 

“We have a winner!”

Sokka springs up, brows furrowed. “No fair! You guys probably bent yours together!” He looks to Toph. “Come on ref, you gotta call cheating!” 

She smirks. “I didn’t  _ see  _ any cheating.” The girl cackles, doubling over. Aang laughs too, and Katara giggles along. Sokka slumps, defeated. His hand lets go of the tent wall and Zuko scrambles to hold on to it before the whole thing falls apart. 

“Our efforts. In vain.”

Zuko chuckles, finishing the tent’s setup with ease. He places a teasing hand on his friend’s shoulder. 

“Hey, maybe we’ll win teardown.” He grabs a fistful of blue sweatshirt, hauling the other man up.

“Hey, guys?” Katara’s voice is hesitant. The gang gathers around their creations. 

“Oh.” Aang and Sokka both say in unison. 

Toph presses her knuckles into Zuko’s side and he looks down at her. 

“What are the girls fighting about now?”

Zuko doesn’t respond. He wants to laugh...or cry.

“How are we all going to fit in these?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god damn I didn't think this would need three parts but here we are. Anyway, plugging my Tumblr again. @sokkaverse. :)


	5. The time they went Camping (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko is shown real affection.

“It fit us last time,” supplies the earth bender, shrugging.

Katara grimaces, glancing at Zuko, who is staring at the ground.

“Speak for yourself, Beifong. Last time me and Aang had to share we almost suffocated! The only reason we could sleep is because he air-bent the little vent at the top all night. There’s  _ no _ way we’re fitting a third man in that death trap.”

“You guys slept in there all night?” The girl guffaws and from behind her, the water bender seems to be biting back a laugh as well.

“You...didn’t?” Asks Sokka, arms crossing, peering down at Toph even though he knows she can’t see it.

“Nah. I made my own tent- slept outside. It was more my style.  _ Sugar queen  _ over there had that plastic hell all to herself.”

“Katara?!” Zuko thought Sokka’s jaw may hit the floor. Aang almost turns the same bright red as the sweatshirt he’s wearing, brow furrowing. “You mean to tell me,”

The Avatar picks up the sentence, facing Katara incredulously. “That you had a  _ whole tent to yourself? _ ” He looks physically pained. “All night?”

Sokka snaps. 

“While your boyfriend and I were cooped up all night… practically, like… cuddling?!”

“It was  _ bro _ cuddling, Sokka.” Aang adds. Zuko looks back and forth, to and from each speaker, speechlessly.

“Well if I thought you’d react like this, I woulda offered you a rock tent, too!”

Zuko steps forward, raising his hand timidly. “If I may,”

He clears his throat, suddenly feeling awkward with all eyes on him. 

“Toph, you sleep in your own tent. Y’know, if that’s what you want, of course.” Toph nods solemnly. He continues, cheeks tinged with pink. “Water Tribe can occupy one tent, and the Avatar and I can have the other.”

“You wanna bro cuddle, hotman?”

“I don’t wanna share with my  _ sister _ !” Sokka cries, flinging his arms up in the air. “She kicks!”

Zuko sighs. “Would you rather  _ me _ share with her?”

Katara steps between the two boys, planting herself firmly in between them as if she was breaking up a schoolyard fight.

“No offense, but don’t  _ I _ get a say in who I share it with?”

“Or me?” Aang mutters. Toph snickers.

“You expect me to let my little sister sleep in a teeny-tiny tent with her  _ boyfriend?”  _

Aang puts his hands up defensively, face pink all the way to his ears. “We’re not dating. I have-” he gulps. “I have the utmost respect for Katara.” He clears his throat, eyes shifting back and forth from sibling to sibling. “Not dating.” He adds. “All the respect.”

Zuko feels the overwhelming urge to sit down as the siblings start to quarrel, pointlessly.

“Hey!” Toph stomps, jolting the ground and effectively silencing the family feud. “Just let Twinkletoes share with Katara. Sokka, you can share with Sparky- he’s skinny, You’ll fit fine.”

“I-” The Water Tribe boy starts weakly. 

“Argue with me again and you’re all sleeping in the same tent.”

Sokka scowls, but it’s half hearted. “Fine.”

“Perfect. S’more time?” the shorter girl gives her best puppy-eyes to the blue-clad boy. 

“We don’t have a fire.” Sokka looks pointedly at Zuko. The firebender gives a half smile, eyeing the crumpled, empty sleeves of plastic littering the campsite. 

“We don’t have graham crackers.”

“Toph!” Whines Katara.

“Hey!” Interjects Aang. “We still have chocolate and marshmallows.” He looks to Toph, panicked. “Right?”

She nods and he exhales, slumping in relief. A lazy smile covers his face. He’s…

_ Oh, what would Ty Lee say? He’s Glowing? His aura is… lovely?  _ Zuko shakes his head. Whatever the phrase was, it fit the Avatar perfectly. His face is flushed, his smile ever present. He’s bubblier than ever. He knows the look of love when he sees it. Zuko is glad the room assignment worked in his favor- though he knows in the back of his mind that this is a setup- that somehow Toph has this all planned out. Just a Gut feeling. 

Zuko should feel overjoyed at his own sleeping arrangement, but rather, he feels tense. To say he’s nervous is an understatement. 

“Um, hello? Sparky?” The Beifong is prodding at him with a dirty finger. “Fire please?”

He looks around. “We’ll need to gather wood first.” His eyes land on his now tent-mate. “Coming with, boyscout?” 

Sokka scoffs, but he’s clearly grinning as he follows Zuko toward the woods. “Only cause you need me.”

Zuko lights a small flame in his palm and they traverse a little deeper into the trees, away from the camp. The sun has finally gone all the way down, taking her golden light with her until she returns in the morning. Now, shadows overlap each other in the trees and the canopy of leaves makes the forest impossibly dark. Zuko notes, begrudgingly, just how damn  _ good _ his companion looks by firelight.

“Technically,” Sokka’s voice rises over the crunching of leaves and snapping of twigs. “Couldn’t we just ask you to shoot fire at our marshmallows until they're toasted?”

“Sorry,” Zuko smiles at the other boy. “I’m no S’morebender.”

Sokka gasps, whipping around to Zuko. 

“Was that...a joke?” His face splits into a grin. “Wow,” he says, in mock breathlessness. “I’m speechless. Floored.”

“Shut up. And technically, yes you could, but the probability of it being cooked well...well that’s not...ideal.” 

“Smart  _ and _ practical? Zuko, I’m in love.” 

It was this moment in which Zuko chose to trip over a stick. He stumbles and his mind races. He  _ knows _ it’s a joke, but really....

“Is this enough?” By the time Zuko gets his shit together again, he notices Sokka has his arms full of dead twigs. He smiles up at him. Even in the dark, his eyes are so blue…

“Perfect.” The flame flickers a tiny bit. They start to walk back. The silence is comfortable. Zuko can't help the smile on his lips.  _ Agni, what would Ty Lee say about his aura right now? _

When they’re back, The boy in the blue hoodie lets the sticks fall to the ground, into a divot that Toph must have created as a firepit. Zuko rubs his hands together and lets fire spark between his palms, before thrusting a strong fist at the fire pit and lighting the timber. Soon enough, a decent sized fire blazes. 

There is much banter and many cracker-less s’mores at the fire (“Just sandwich the chocolate between the marshmallows, duh!” Sokka had said). Aang is a surprisingly captivating storyteller. He talks animatedly about his travels around the world, the people he’s met, and the things he’s seen. Toph tells good jokes, punctuated by puppets made from earth, bent at her will to help move the punchline along. Katara warms up to him, making sure he has water and snacks, and that he isn’t being left out in conversation- even if that’s how Zuko wants it. Sokka sings some horrible “Camp song” renditions, every now and then he’d make sure to pepper in some scary campfire stories that make everyone roll their eyes. Zuko is happy. Toph and Aang are very into the whole fire thing, asking him to “show off” his bending skills (“Zuko! Set this stick on fire!”) which he takes as a compliment (“Hey Hotman, you think you could teach me to breathe fire?”), he guesses. It’s nice. He might be in the middle of the woods on Dai Li private property, but he feels at home.

It’s winding down. Not just the fire, but the energy, too. 

“I’m outta here. See you losers in the morning.” The blind bender pops a last marshmallow in her mouth before retreating beyond the fire, a little farther from the other tents. Banging a heel against the smooth ground, two sheets of rock encase her in a tent shape. Aang and Katara share a glance.

“I’m going to sleep, too. Night guys. Make sure the fire is out completely before you go to bed.” Katara smiles and disappears into the dark. Zuko can hear the unzipping of a tent, then the rezipping. Aang smiles bashfully.

“I uh. I gotta. Me also...go, too.” He clears his throat. “Bed.” He points at the tent area. “Night!” He finishes quickly. He turns quickly on his heel, but Sokka catches him by the hood. Zuko bites back a laugh.

“Ohh no you don’t. C’mon, Lovebender. You and I are gonna chat.” Zuko watches in amusement as bright red and blue hoodies disappear into the woods, the same way they had gone to get sticks earlier. 

The firebender rises now, looking at the pile of bags by the fire. It’s just his stuff and Sokka’s stuff now, the rest of the gang must’ve tucked their belongings away in their respective tents and spread out their blankets on the insides. That’s probably what they did while they were waiting for firewood, Zuko concludes. 

All alone, Zuko takes stock of what blankets they have, picking up the ones he brought- a few nice plush ones from his father’s house, and the ones that must be Sokka’s- they all scream Water tribe, very similar to the blanket he keeps in his car. He takes the armful of warm fabrics to the tent. He scowls, unzipping it and throwing the blankets inside. He has to get on his knees to enter the tent, crawling in and ducking so that he doesnt bump his head on the air vent at the top. He tests out the size- he can sit perfectly straight at the tallest point of the tent, but his head is placed firmly against the plastic roof. Any taller, and he would have to slouch when sitting. So this meant bad news for Sokka, which Zuko finds extremely amusing.

On his hands and knees, the dark haired boy unfolds the blankets, layering them in the interior of the tent like a mattress. Once he’s done, he fetches the rest of their bags and puts them just outside of the tent for easy access. He rolls up two extra blankets to be pillows, cause of course, they were forgetting  _ something _ , they just knew it. Oh well.

He hears rustling footsteps and peeks his head out of the tent. Sokka is bouncing along the path, a  _ very _ red Aang in tow. 

“Night, Aang!” He calls. He gets a small “Night Sokka”, in response.

Zuko flops down onto the makeshift mattress. Not too bad.

Singular footsteps approach the tent and the zipper opens to reveal Sokka, beaming. 

“I like what you’ve done with the place,” he can’t seem to wipe the grin off of his face as he crawls in. It’s suddenly very cramped and the temperature has raised a thousand degrees. 

“When Aang and I camped together, we didn't have anything to make it more comfortable. This…” He lays down, forcing Zuko to scoot over as quick as lighting, crowding the back wall. “This is luxury.”

“As luxury as a baby tent can be, I guess.” Zuko replies, chuckling. 

“It’s all we could afford!” 

They both lay on their backs, legs bent at the knees, staring through the vented “ceiling”. Crickets chirp, there’s a breeze rustling the trees. The sounds of nature consumes their ears. Sokka sighs. He shifts so that he's on his side, arm propping up his head on the blanket-pillow. When Zuko looks over, he’s startled to find how close he is, once again just inches apart. Long legs brush against his, and Zuko tries his very best not to set the whole tent on fire. Sokka doesn’t say anything though, he just stares. Stares right into Zuko’s soul. Suddenly, he wants to curl away into nothingness, wants to fade into the darkness of the evening and never be looked at again- but somehow he doesn’t look away.

“What?” He matches the other boy’s posture, turning sideways toward him, head resting on a balled up fist. 

Sokks smiles. “You’re so pretty.”

“O-oh.” His Eyes flicker downward, but connect again with Sokka’s after a moment. “Thank you”  _ Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. _

“I like your eyes,” he says, and  _ good lord Sozin,  _ he’s reaching toward the other boy, bringing his hand up to softly connect with the unmarred part of Zuko’s face. His heart hammers as the beautiful, brown eyed boy beside him runs a thumb over his cheek- the gentlest touch he’s ever received. The bender can’t take all the attention, he breaks eye contact, looking down at Sokka’s hoodie strings, instead. The hand does not drop. He feels the other boy’s fingers move carefully to the right side of his face. 

“And this.” He gasps quietly and initiates eye contact when the pad of his friend’s thumb meets the ragged, redness of his scar. But Zuko doesn’t move, he doesn’t do anything but wait. He barely remembers to breathe.

“So, pretty, Zuko.” He retracts his hand, but it doesn’t leave Zuko’s body. Instead, he rests it on his waist. His other hand is stretched out. An invitation. Zuko hesitates, looking down at his open arms, and then back into the ocean of his eyes as if to say: “Are you sure?”.

“It’ll be more comfortable if you come over here,” Sokka murmurs. Zuko breaks eye contact, dipping his head as a way of agreement, and shifting, slowly, to slot his body against Sokka’s. He rests his head part-way on his shoulder, part-way on his chest, and the taller boy has one arm around him now, the other behind his head. Zuko lets his body curl into him, melting a little. The arm that his friend has wrapped around him ends at his shoulder. His thumb rubs soothing circles into Zuko’s clothed skin. The firebender sighs, exhaling all the tension in his body. He nuzzles his nose into Sokka’s neck, comfortable. 

They stay like that for a long time, Zuko doesn’t know how long, nor does he care to know. His eyelids are becoming heavy.

“Hey, “ He hears a perfect voice whisper into his ear. He stirs, blinking heavily. 

“Hey,” Sokka says again, sitting up a little. Zuko gets off of him, curling into his makeshift pillow now and yawning. Sokka frowns. He sits up all the way, swiveling his head toward the zipper and staring. 

“Zuko! Did you hear that?”

Zuko snaps awake, shooting up and hitting his head against the staticky plastic of the tent. Sokka’s face splits into a grin, laughing, trying to keep it down. His eyes are full of glee and Zuko scowls, rubbing his eyes and glaring at the man above him. 

“You should’ve seen your face!” He hisses, wiping at his eyes. 

“I  _ will _ burn this tent down.” 

Sokka sighs, smiling big. 

“No need for that. I’m sorry. Promise I won’t do it again. C’mere.” He lays back down, but sideways now, both arms outstretched. Zuko rolls easily into his arms and this time pulls a blanket over them. Sokka’s solid chest is warm and comforting against Zuko’s back. He sighs. Sokka’s beautiful brown hair is loose, and he shakes it away before resting his chin in the crook of his friend’s pale neck. The firebends steals one of the nonbender’s arms, cuddling it in between his own. Sokka intertwines their fingers and uses that connection to pull them closer. He feels a kiss on the top of his head before he’s out. 

“g’night.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realize it was 2:37am when I posted this I was just so desperate to get Camping outta the way. But there y'all go!


	6. The time he gets an Apartment Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko becomes acquainted with Sokka's bedroom.

Zuko pulls into the lot, carefully picking a spot in the corner, away from other cars. What if he took someone’s parking space? He hopes to every spirit that he won’t come back to the lot this evening with a notice slapped on his windshield. Someone would’ve told him if he needed a parking pass, right? He kills the engine and groans but takes no steps to unbuckle himself or make an exit from his vehicle. 112. He looks into his side-view mirror, glancing at the four high rise towers, arranged in a grid formation on a well kept, grassy plane, edged by a concrete sidewalk that went all the way around. How is he supposed to know what building 112 is in? He draws his eyes away and slumps slightly in his seat, frowning. He pulls his phone from the USB charger and sends a quick “here” on Snap, hoping that maybe he’d get a reply like, “Cool! I’ll come to get you!” or something. But instead, he just got, “cool. 112, the door is open.” Great.

While wallowing in his self-pity and indecision, he sees movement outside his window- a figure. Maybe he  _ had _ come to get him? 

No. The person is carrying a white trash bag over their shoulder, heading at an angle away from his car. He squints. They have red hair that is chopped into a bob and wore a green sweater. The telltale sign that this is, indeed, the person he thought it was, is bright red lips. He unbuckles and rolls down his window before she can get too far away. 

“Suki! Hey!” He smiles through the window, waving. She whips around, confusion evident on her face, before settling her eyes on the familiar red vehicle and bursting into a grin. 

“Zuko!” She swings the bag down from her shoulder and onto the ground. Zuko leans half-way out the car window, resting his elbows on the windowsill. “What are you doing here?”

He vaguely gestures at the building complex, before answering, “I’m here to see some friends. I didn’t know you lived here! What have you been up to?” It’s uncharacteristic for Zuko to be so outwardly friendly with others, but there’s something about Suki that makes him feel comfortable- like some weird sibling bond he never had with Azula. They were familiar, they had grown close taking dance classes together back when Zuko’s father had moved the family to Kyoshi for business. 

She fiddles with the plastic yellow strings of the bag, popping her knee out and putting her other hand on her hip. “Well, the move was a little rough, but me and the girls have been here a little over two weeks now. It’s five of us up in 230- a little cramped but it’s nothing we’re not used to. The Ba Sing Se dance program is worth all the hassle, and we have little real competition within the city.” 

“I don’t think I would call the Ember Island Players competition at all,” Zuko laughs. He misses it. 

“Hey, uh, you said you live in 230, right?” 

Suki nods. 

“Could you take me to 112? I don’t want to wander around like an idiot.” He confesses. She laughs and swings the trash over her shoulder. 

“Sure. Gimme a second.” 

He nods and actually exits his car, gathering up his phone and wallet and locking it behind him while the dancer disposes of her trash. She shoves her hands in her pockets as she walks back, looking Zuko up and down, now. She nods her head toward the apartments, beckoning him to follow. 

“You’ve gotten taller.” She comments.

“Yeah, I guess I have. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.” They walk a path that goes through the center of all four buildings and pass a small outdoor common area; chairs surrounding a fire pit. 

“You should’ve stuck with dance. What are you studying here in the city, anyway?” They take a turn to the left, down a short corridor. The doors read 400, 401, 402… 

“Shit, wrong one,” Suki spins on her heel in the opposite direction and Zuko almost gets whiplash trying to follow her so closely. 

“I’m studying psychology online, I work during the day at my uncle’s tea shop.” 

They finally reach the 100’s. 

“Hey, that’s cool. Here you go. I assume you can find the right apartment from here.” She gives him a quick side hug. “Keep in touch. You know where to find me!” She smiles and walks away with a stupid amount of grace. 

He utters a small, “bye!” in her direction, before scanning the doors. It’s easy to find 112. Not only because he didn’t have to climb any stairs to find it, but because Sokka wasn’t kidding when he said that the door is open. It’s cracked and the bottom of the wood is horribly battered. There are stickers on the door over some of the more minor dents. Spirits. He takes a deep breath and knocks three times. 

There's thudding and then the door swings open to reveal Sokka, smiling. He’s not wearing blue today, but instead, he has on black jeans, much like the ones Zuko is wearing, and an oversized plaid crewneck, printed in various grays. Zuko himself feels overdressed, in black jeans, Docs, and a crimson button up. He can literally feel himself blushing already. The taller of the two beckons Zuko in with a flourish of his arm. 

“So this is it.” The apartment is surprisingly well kept, considering how the door looks. It’s painted in beiges and tans with black countertops and wooden cabinets and floors. It doesn’t have anything hanging from the walls, and a few flower pots with fake plants litter the living space. Sokka shuts the door behind him, but it doesn’t latch. When he meets Zuko’s accusing eyes, he shrugs sheepishly. 

“It was the last tenant, I swear.” He leads them through the kitchen space and to the living room before walking backward comically toward the kitchen’s raised bar.

“Hold up,” he grabs two paper bags off of the counter next to the stovetop. “Got us fried arctic hen.” He pushes a bag into Zuko’s hands. It’s still warm. It smells vaguely like Water Tribe Cuisine, but Zuko doesn’t mind. 

They pass three doors on their way. Sokka explains that the room with the half-opened door belongs to Aang, and the other to Toph. 

“So, is the last room Katara’s, then?” Zuko asks, taking in his surroundings still. They have three game consoles on their TV stand and a ridiculously sized Television. There’s an oversized couch, Probably from IKEA, Zuko guesses, and a matching chair against a bright window. He doesn’t expect Sokka’s laugh. 

“No, no. Katara lives with a bunch of girls in a house closer to the University. We grew up together, the last thing we need is to live together as adults. My friend Teo from school lives here, but he’s always out.”

“Woah, is that Zuko?” Aang’s voice floats through the living space, muffled. It’s groggy and slurred from sleep. The two boys backpedal. Zuko peers into his room, barely able to make out the bald boy from the millions of sheets he’s wrapped up in. He has his eyes closed and his lips are drawn up into a little smile. “Hey.” He has a sleepy hand lifted in the air for .2 seconds before it thuds into the covers again and they conclude he might be asleep. 

Sokka chuckles and closes his door quietly. They pass Teo’s door and come to a fourth. Sokka pushes it open and Zuko follows like a little puppy. 

The room is dark, with just a single lamp for light, as opposed to an overhead bulb. He has two windows, one on each wall, that suppy light. It’s clean, save for some empty cans and water bottles on his desk. His closet door is ajar, showing an array of mostly greys and blues. His bed is lofted just a touch, just enough for Zuko to have to jump a little to sit on it. Sokka sits down at his desk, in front of a monitor hooked up to yet another Xbox. He turns it on with a tiny ‘beep’ and lets lo-fi beats from Youtube play as background noise. Zuko came to appreciate this quirk of Sokka’s- he never liked silence himself. The brown-haired boy is swiveling back and forth in his chair, digging into his food. The boy seated on the bed puts the bag between his legs and gingerly picks out a leg of some sort. He bites into it and hums pleasantly. 

“Not too bad, Water tribe. Where’d you get it?”

“Some hole in the wall. The guys upstairs are always getting it, and I didn’t realize it was Water Tribe...inspired...for a long time. It’s not as good as real meat from the south, but it does in a jif.”

“Oh,” Zuko doesn’t realize he’s so damn hungry. He devours another piece. He forgets to eat when he’s nervous- which means he’s always pretty starved on days he hangs out with Sokka. “Who lives upstairs?”

“Our…” He pauses, quizzically. “I wouldn’t call him a friend....”

“Acquaintance?” suggests the dark-haired boy. Sokka shakes his head.

“Plug.” Finishes Sokka, furrowing his brows. “Jet. He’s a grade-A asshole, but I buy drinks off of him sometimes.” 

“Oh.” Is all Zuko says. He often forgets that he’s the oldest of his new friend group.

“Yeah, but his housemates are pretty cool when they’re not getting stoned.”

Zuko hums his response. He’s already, embarrassingly, finished his food. He hops off of the bed, gathering his trash up, and then begrudgingly, Sokka’s as well, (“Take mine too?”). He takes the waste to the kitchen, dumping it and washing his hands in the sink. 

When he returns, Sokka is in bed, flopped on the side closest to the door, on his phone. Looking up upon his friend's entrance, he opens his arms up. Zuko immediately climbs up onto the bed and settles himself right on top of Sokka’s body. Arms wrap around him. Lo-fi rides the breeze drifting in through the windows. 

“What are we doing?” Zuko speaks softly into the warm skin of Sokka’s neck. Zuko wonders if he can feel his heart beating rapidly. He’s doing that thing again, damn him. His thumb works small circles into the small of his back, over his stiff button up. The bender’s arms are outstretched, one on a strong shoulder, and the other reaching up to tangle in Sokka’s silky hair, which he kept down today. Zuko thanks the spirits.

“We’re vibing”, comes the response.

“Okay.”

While it isn’t quite the answer he’s looking for, Zuko takes it anyway, twirling soft hair around his long pale fingers and nosing farther into Sokka’s neck. Sokka sighs. The hand that was on his back glides up his spine, feeling the stiff cotton of the shirt Zuko chose to wear, and then over the short sleeves that he’s rolled up a few times. 

“Leave it to you to wear the most uncomfortable shirt you own,” snickers the Water Tribe boy. Zuko huffs, sitting up and pouting. 

“I thought it was cute.” 

“You are.”

He’s distinctly aware of the position he put them in now, with Zuko’s long legs straddling Sokka’s hips, his hands resting on the other man’s chest. He doesn’t miss how Sokka’s eyes rake down his body. Shit. Quickly, he pushes away, climbing deftly off of his friend and occupying the side of the bed nearest the wall. Sokka pouts back.

“If I get you a sweatshirt, will you come back?”

“I’ll think about it.”

The plaid-wearing man groans, sitting up and sliding off the short side of the bed, toward his closet. He rummages for a second. “Here, I think this would look good on you.”

He holds up a sweater, too big for Zuko’s frame, he can already tell. It’s a corded sweater, a dark navy color. He takes it off of the hanger, balling it up and throwing it in his friend’s direction.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it. My room is always so damn cold anyway- I think I pulled the short end of the stick when it came to A/C.”

Zuko starts to unbutton his shirt with trembling fingers, trying to make it quick while Sokka is straightening up his closet. He’s just peeled off the shirt when Sokka closes the closet door and turns around. Their gazes meet and those beautifully blue eyes widen, taking in the sight before him. The raven-haired boy scrunches his nose up in response, holding the sweater against his bare chest. 

“Pay no mind.” He waves him off and Sokka rolls his eyes, climbing back into bed. He doesn’t exactly “Pay no mind”, though. Zuko feels eyes on him as he slides the soft material over his head, ruffling his hair. It’s too big, the sleeves cover his hands by quite the margin, and the lowest seam meets about mid-thigh. Zuko chuckles lightly, flopping the sleeves around. 

“Sokka, this is like a dress on me. Does it even fit  _ you _ ?”

“It's a bit big on me. Looks good as a dress, though,” he smirks when the boy above him protests. 

“You said you’d come back,” he whines. Zuko rolls his eyes, but his heart is beating wildly. He carefully maneuvers his lanky form over the boy on the bed, placing his knees on either side of his hips and sitting on top of him. Sokka’s smile is weak. His hands rest on the pale boy’s jean-clad thighs.

“Is this what you wanted?”

“Closer.”

“Sokka, I’m on  _ top  _ of you.”

“Zuko…” He shivers involuntarily at his name. He leans down, propping himself up by his hands on either side of Sokka’s head. Will they ever stop meeting like this? 

“Now?” Zuko’s voice falters. He feels strong hands on his back. One is sliding forward, though. Farther and farther, until the hand settles on the back of his neck now, territorially almost. Fingers stretch the expanse of the pale skin there, fingertips in his black hair. 

“Better.” Sokka’s hand on the back of his neck gently pushes his head down, coaxing their lips together for a short time. Zuko opens his eyes and pulls back shyly, slowly. He’s smiling- they both are. They don’t speak. Golden eyes flicker down to pink lips. This time, Zuko leans down and kisses him on his own accord. This time, it's more than just a chaste press of lips together. Sokka kisses back, pulling Zuko down on top of him messily, rather than his carefully placed position before- teetering precariously overtop of Sokka’s body, trying not to crush him. But now Zuko has his full body weight on the other boy and his friend’s arms are holding him tight, flush against him like he weighs nothing. He pulls away for air, and blue eyes stare into his, impossibly close.

“Nice,” breathes the boy underneath him, a goofy grin on his face. It must be contagious because Zuko can feel one coming on as well. 

“Fucking dork,” he teases. He makes a startled noise as the nonbender lets go of his hair, placing both arms on his back now and flipping them over. In an instant, Zuko lays flat against the mattress and Sokka is hovering above him, trapping him under strong arms. Zuko decides this is something he could  _ definitely  _ get used to. Sokka has a wicked grin on his face, and his hair hangs down freely. 

“Fucking Jerk.” He surges down and captures Zuko’s lips in his own, but it isn’t as sweet or gentle as the first couple were. Zuko can’t help but grin into the kiss, turning his head to deepen it. He tangles one hand in Sokka’s hair-  _ Agni, he can’t get enough of it _ \- and grabs a fistful of sweatshirt with the other, pulling his companion in as far as he humanly can. Zuko’s heart nearly beats through his chest when he feels a knee slip between his legs. He nearly sighs as he realizes it’s just so Sokka can lay between his legs- he doesn’t dare move too far up. The firebender shudders and makes the smallest noise possible when one of Sokka’s hands runs up the inside of his leg, pushing it out of the way so that he has more room to move. 

They carry on like that for a bit, laughing and smiling into each other’s lips, grabbing at sweaters, pushing and pulling. Breathing, letting their foreheads touch tenderly in some moments. 

And holy shit, Sokka really  _ is  _ teaching him how to have fun.

Zuko breaks the kiss, breathing hard, and pushes Sokka off of him, relocating to straddle his lap while Sokka sits with his legs outstretched, back against the cold grey wall. The grabbing becomes more insistent and the kissing is messier. Sokka nips at his lower lip and Zuko hums, letting him slip his tongue into his mouth. Zuko, pulls away, turning his head to the side. Should they talk about this? 

His thoughts dissipate when soft lips don’t return to his, but begin to work on his neck, placing small pecks under his jawline, below his ear, and on the base of his throat. He sighs, gripping Sokka’s hair maybe a little too hard. The other doesn’t complain, though. He feels teeth scrape against his neck and he actually lets a small groan slip, tilting his head back more. This time, the teeth against his neck are grinning. Sokka continues to kiss him, and Zuko can feel himself getting carried away, can feel Sokka getting carried away. He places a hand on his jaw. 

“Hey,” He whispers. “Hey, slow-”

Their eyes meet and Sokka’s are apologetic. He smiles. 

“You should probably be getting home, huh.” He breathes out. Zuko nods, clambering off of him. Sokka follows after, stretching before hopping off the bed. He approaches Zuko, who is beginning to pull the sweater off. 

“Keep it. Give it back to me next time you’re over.”

_ Next time? _ Well, he must’ve done  _ something  _ right.

“Sokka, I don’t wanna take something that’s yours.” Sokka just shakes his head, putting a hand on the other boy’s shoulder and steering him toward the door. He opens the bedroom door to the living room, and they’re faced with a smug-looking Toph, sprawled out on the couch, one AirPod in. 

“So  _ that’s  _ who was in there with you, Snoozles. Zuko, your heartbeat is super fucking  _ loud _ , did you know that?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might Just end this here, but I don't know. I have more one-shot-like chapters planned but these are the big ones! If I'm feeling spicy I might add the Full 15 chapters. Let me know what y'all think.


End file.
